Welcome to the Soccer Newsletter. Today's subject will deal with bending
balls.
First of all, I would like to remind people of the new forum available to discuss things
related to coaches and players at
http://finesoccer.com/forum.htm
. Please feel free to ask questions, make suggestions or help others.
The most common reason for trying to make a ball bend or curve is to get the ball around
an opponent and toward an intended target. Some of the times when you might try to
bend a ball include shooting around a wall or playing a through ball behind a defense and
away from the keeper.
The key to getting a ball to bend is to put spin on the ball with enough velocity as to
make it move. I am sure there is an explanation from physics that would explain this
but that is simply all that needs to be known. If you want the ball to be bent using
your right foot and toward your left, plant your left foot a couple of inches closer to
the ball then you normally would (instead of 6-8 inches from the ball, plant your foot 4-6
inches from the ball. By doing this, you will make contact with the ball an inch or
two from the center of the ball (away from the side of the ball closest to you). By
striking the ball in this area, it will generate side spin on the ball. If the ball
is struck with enough velocity, this spin will cause the ball to begin to bend.
The harder the ball is struck, the more the ball will spin. The more the ball spins,
the more the ball will bend. If you make contact a little bit further from the center of
the ball, it will spin more and thus bend more.
If you want to make a ball bend toward your right with your right foot, you would want to
step further away from the ball with your left foot and use the outside of your right
foot. By doing this, you can generate enough spin and power on the ball to make the
ball bend toward your right.
The other way you can make a ball bend is to have the ball bend down. This is
usually done to shoot a ball over a wall but not over the goal. The way this is
done, is to place your plant foot the standard 6-8 inches from the ball but an inch or two
in front of where you normally would. Your intention is to make contact with the
ball slightly above the center of the ball. By doing this, you can generate enough
top spin
to cause the ball to dip down shortly after the ball is struck.
In each of the above mentioned cases, it is important to hit the ball in the proper spot
and with a great deal of power in order to generate the spin needed to make the ball dip.
Keep your eye on the ball the whole time and realize that the technique and
location of the strike is more important then anything else.
I would prefer that players NOT work on bending balls until they are quite proficient with
hitting a straight ball. However, you should realize that the ability to hit a
bending ball is a terrific skill that can result in a goal or a great scoring opportunity.
